With lockout on, Scalabrine likely headed to Europe

Brian Scalabrine gives teammate Joakim Noah a quick massage during a timeout against the Raptors at the United Center. (Chris Sweda, Chicago Tribune)

Late in the regular season, Brian Scalabrine told the Tribune he might play in Europe next season as his professional career enters its final few seasons.

Now that the NBA will lockout its players beginning at 11:01 p.m. Chicago time Thursday night, Scalabrine's plans will be set in motion quickly.

"For me personally, if in the next 15 days it's still kind of like it is now, I'm just going to Europe and play," Scalabrine said in a phone interview. "The thing about that is you have to commit for the whole year and you have no out clauses whatsoever. I support the players and the union and want to see the (NBA) game stay great. But at the end of the day, with two years or so left of playing basketball, I'm not interested in watching billionaires fight. I just like the game too much. I like the camaraderie. I like to play. So why not do it in a great city in Europe and educate my family?"

Scalabrine, who would be an NBA free agent whenever the lockout ends, said there are seven or eight European teams interested in signing him and that he's in the process of securing his passport and possibly getting Italian citizenship. He said it's likely he would play in Italy.

"I enjoyed my time in Chicago," he said. "The city and fans and team were great. Every experience I go through is a learning experience. So what if I go over there? I might learn a ton. It'd be an opportunity to play and to learn and to live in a different culture. I'm waiting to see what happens. The Bulls have been great with me. We talked (Wednesday) and they were happy with what I did last year and talked about bringing me back. I told them that if something doesn't get solved soon, I probably will play in Europe."

Scalabrine, 33, has been a fan favorite in virtually every stop of his 10-year NBA career. He has played on four NBA Finals teams, two with the Nets and two with the Celtics. He owns one championship with the Celtics and averaged 3.2 points and 2.1 rebounds in 492 career games.

Scalabrine said the players' union is strong as the lockout begins. But for now, his thoughts are with his possible next move, which would include bringing his wife and two young daughters with him.

"We're going to do it up right," he said. "It's going to be a good city with good schools. I'll order my Rosetta stone, learn the language and do it up right."